


Secrets and Lies

by Spacecadet72



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Post Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-28
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-06-05 03:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6686635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecadet72/pseuds/Spacecadet72
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a compromising photo of Ladybug and Adrien is released, they must put on a united front and figure out which truths are more important to protect--their identities or their reputations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the Lois & Clark episode "Sex, Lies and Videotape" which had a similar plot. You don't have to have any knowledge of that show to understand this fic. (Although it is an awesome show, so I would recommend it. :D)

“You’ll never defeat me!” The Juggler cried as he rolled back and forth on a unicycle, his hands keeping several fireballs in the air.

“Got any ideas?” Chat Noir asked Ladybug even as they both kept their eyes on the latest akuma.

“Just one,” she said before throwing her yo-yo in the air. “Lucky Charm!”

She pulled her yo-yo back and held her hands out to catch the red and black spotted airhorn that fell into them.

“An airhorn?” Chat Noir said, sounding confused as he glanced her way. “What are you going to do with that?”

Ladybug looked down at the airhorn and then scanned the area around them for the answer.

Spotting it, she smiled in triumph. “I’ve got it. You keep his attention on you and I’ll do the rest.”

“As you wish, my Lady,” Chat said with a flirty grin.

She rolled her eyes, but returned the smile before throwing out her yo-yo and swinging away.

Ladybug was only partially aware of Chat Noir flipping around to avoid the fireballs being thrown at him by the Juggler and tossing puns and taunts right back. She swung around until she was on the building directly behind the Juggler. She swung down as quietly as she could and tiptoed to get closer. Once she was directly behind the Juggler, she held up the airhorn and pressed the button.

The horn blared loudly and the Juggler’s feet faltered on the pedals. The unicycle fell out from underneath him, and he fell on his back right in front of Ladybug. Before he could recover and throw a fireball her way, she reached down and yanked the bracelet where the akuma resided off of his wrist.

She tore the bracelet in two and caught the akuma with her yo-yo, cleansing it of all evil.

“Goodbye, little butterfly,” she said as it flew away, now a bright white.

“Where am I?”

Ladybug looked down to see The Juggler de-akumatized and back to his normal self at her feet. She offered her hand to him to help him to his feet.

“Everything is alright now,” she said offering him a bright smile and returning the now whole bracelet back to him.

“Thank you, Ladybug,” he said fervently, before walking off.

“Another victory for the books,” Chat said as he walked up to her.

“We did it,” she said leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her to pull her to his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

They stayed that way, enjoying the other’s presence before twin beeps brought them back to reality.

“Gotta go,” Chat said, looking down at his ring and the one paw pad blinking up at them.

She grabbed his hand and threw her yo-yo out. He wrapped his arm around her tightly as she swung them away.

By the time she landed them on their balcony, he had already de-transformed back into Adrien.

“Do you have to get back to work?” He asked as he let go of her waist and stepped towards the balcony door.

“I’ve got a few things I need to wrap up before I can call it a day,” she said, stepping closer to him. Her arms went around his neck and his went around her waist. “I won’t be long,” she said before pushing up on her toes to kiss him quickly.

Adrien had other ideas and tightened his arms around her to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. She responded in kind, but pulled back after several moments.

“Down, kitty,” she said with a sly quirk of her lips. “Some of us have work to do.”

“Don’t take too long,” he said, loosening his hold around her, but not moving his arms from around her waist.

“I’ll be back in time for dinner,” she said before stepping back and swinging away.

Adrien couldn’t help the wide grin on his face as he walked away.

Neither of them saw the man with the camera a rooftop away.

* * *

 

Marinette blinked awake, eyes squinting and nose wrinkling at the sunbeam sliding across her face. She rolled over, and snuggled deeper into the comforter. Adrien’s arm tightened where it was resting around her waist and she smiled, humming out a soft sound of contentment.

“It’s too early to get up,” Adrien mumbled into her hair. They had been out late on patrol the evening before. It had been a beautiful and quiet evening and neither of them had been eager to call it a night.

“You’re right,” Marinette said, with a yawn before cracking one eye open to look at the clock, “but we do need to get up for work.”

“You work for yourself, and I don’t have that photoshoot until noon.”

She sighed, and closed her eyes again. “We really should get up.”

“Is there nothing I can say to convince you to stay in bed, Mrs. Agreste?” He nuzzled his face into her shoulder, placing a soft kiss there.

Marinette giggled, and finally opened her eyes. “That’s Ms. Dupain-Cheng to you.” She had kept her maiden name after they married because it was so connected to her work, but a small part of her--a part she suspected belonged to her high school self--always felt a little thrill when he called her that.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said with a smirk, shifting so that he could look at her.

“Hmmm….” She said, pretending to think for a moment. “Let me see--”

He cut her off with a gentle kiss. She smiled, pushing up to deepen it, one hand moving up to tangle in his hair.

She pulled back after several blissful moments.

Adrien raised an eyebrow, his expression all sleepy satisfaction. “Well?”

Marinette leaned down to kiss him quickly before pulling back with a grin. “Sorry, Mr. Agreste, but I’ve got too much to do today to spend it in bed. Even if I want to,” she said as she untangled herself from him and moved off the bed.

“You’re no fun,” he said rolling onto his back, but keeping his eyes on her.

Marinette shook her head fondly as she headed into the bathroom.

She plugged her phone into the speaker, turning on music and stepping into the shower. Halfway through the shower, several beeps began interrupting the song.

Marinette’s brow wrinkled as she wondered just who was leaving her that many messages in a row. She shrugged before rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. She’d find out in a few minutes.

After stepping out of the shower several minutes later, one towel wrapped around her body, another around her hair, she pulled her phone from the speaker to look through her notifications. Alya had left her at least five texts and there were a dozen more from a handful of other people. Including her parents. What was going on?

She pulled up the one from her parents first.

_Let us know if we can do anything to help, sweetheart. We’re here for you._

Marinette’s confusion and concern grew. She appreciated the sentiment, but had no idea what had warranted such a message.

She turned to Alya’s texts next. Hopefully they would have more explanations.

_Girl! Have you seen the news this morning?_

_Call me!_

_Are you okay? I can be over in 15 if you need me_

_Just know I’m behind you 100%_

_I don’t believe it’s true but I’ll kick anybody’s ass that I need to_

The first text had a link to an entertainment news site, and she clicked on it, not sure she wanted to see whatever was currently loading on her phone.

She couldn’t stop the high pitched shriek as soon as the page loaded.

There was a crash from the other room before Adrien was in the doorway, alert and panicked. “What is it?”

She could only shake her head and thrust the phone at him.

“Oh, shit,” was all he said as all the color drained from his face.

The article had a large color photo of Ladybug and Adrien in the middle of a very passionate kiss under a headline that screamed out the words _ADRIEN AGRESTE BITTEN BY THE LOVEBUG?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette react to the picture, and both Gabriel and Alya offer their perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the wait between chapters. I don't have a set updating schedule, but I'm aiming for a chapter every couple weeks or so. 
> 
> Feel free to come talk to me on [tumblr](http://bearholdingashark.tumblr.com/) if you want. :D

“Marinette?”

Marinette turned to look at Tikki and Plagg flying into the room, but she was having difficulty focusing. That might have been the nausea.

“What happened? We heard screaming.” Tikki flew over to her, flitting around and trying to see if Marinette was hurt.

“Huh,” Plagg said, sounding almost disinterested as he looked at the picture on Marinette’s phone. “What are you worrying for? It’ll be fine.”

“Fine? Plagg, This is a disaster,” Marinette said, a detached part of her brain noting how hysterical she sounded.

“Has this never happened before?” Adrien asked, looking between the two kwami. They didn’t know much about the previous Ladybugs and Chat Noirs, but surely this couldn’t be the first time there had been a case of mistaken identities.

“It’s never really come up.” Plagg said, around a wedge of camembert.

Tikki shot him a look, but didn’t comment. “Not like this.”

Marinette was looking at the photo again, squinting at what little could be seen of the background around their faces. They tried to be discreet when only one of them was in costume, but this photo could have been taken a handful of different times.

“That’s on the balcony,” Marinette said, the horror rising in her voice. “I can’t count how many times we’ve transformed there. Do you think they have pictures of that too?”

Adrien closed his eyes slowly. “Even if they do, we can’t transform at home anymore.”

“What are we going to do?” Marinette asked, looking between the three others, as if one of them would immediately have an answer.

Plagg just shook his head, while Tikki looked at her sadly. “I’m not sure what you need to do, Marinette. But I’m sure you and Adrien will be able to figure it out,” she added a forced note of cheer to her voice. “Plagg and I will help.”

Plagg looked up from the last of the camembert. “What? Oh, yeah, we can help.”

“We have to find out who took this photo,” Adrien said, shooting a quick glare at Plagg. “I can check with the photographers I know.”

Marinette nodded, her eyebrows wrinkling as she thought through her own contacts list. “I’ll do the same. Who would do something like this?”

An insistent ring from across the room drew their attention.

Adrien sighed. “That’ll be my father. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about all this.”

Marinette grimaced along with him. “I would tell you to ignore it, but somehow, I think that would just make it worse.”

Adrien nodded. “I better answer that.”

* * *

 

Nathalie looked up from her tablet as Adrien approached his father’s office. Her expression was unreadable, but Adrien knew that whatever was waiting for him behind that door was not going to be pleasant.

“He’s been expecting you,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes as she ushered him into Gabriel’s office.

“Do you want to tell me what this is?” Gabriel didn’t even bother with a hello, as he threw a photo down on his desk.

Adrien stared down at the blown up version of the photo. It was blurrier than the one Marinette had shown him this morning, but still very clearly him and Ladybug.

“Father…” Adrien began, even as he knew it was hopeless. He had been on his own for years now, and standing like this in front of his father’s desk always made him feel 16 again. “I know what it looks like, but it's not true.” Marinette had asked if he wanted her with him, to show a united front. Adrien had known it would be better to face his father alone. He almost wished now he had told her yes.

Gabriel Agreste only stared back at his son, his expression stern and disappointed.

“You represent this company and this family. You have one of the most famous faces in Paris. I would have thought you would have known to be discreet.”

Adrien clenched his jaw. How his father could just believe that he would do that to Marinette...Even with the photographic evidence, he had hoped his father had more faith in him than that. He should have known not to be that optimistic.

“It’s not real,” Adrien pressed, even as he hated lying. “You know what they can do with photoshop these days.”

Gabriel sighed. “I don’t care what you do in your spare time, but I do ask that it not reflect badly on me.”

“I didn’t cheat on Marinette,” Adrien said through clenched teeth, his voice low and dangerous.

Gabriel’s expression clearly said he didn’t believe a word Adrien was saying.

“Just make sure this doesn’t happen again. It’s going to be enough of a headache cleaning up this mess, I don’t want to have to do it again.”

Adrien nodded once. It would be useless to try and convince his father of the truth.

“Are we done?” He asked, his arms folded over his chest.

Gabriel had already gone back to the work on his desk and simply waved Adrien out of the room.

* * *

 

“How are you holding up?” Alya asked before pulling Marinette into a hug.

Marinette gave her a tired smile as they pulled back and sat down “It’s hard, but we’ll get through it. I just wish the press would leave me alone. Or,” she said as she picked up her menu, “that they wouldn’t try and ambush me right outside the apartment.”

Alya made a sympathetic noise in response and picked up her own menu. They both looked over their options in silence for a few moments, before Alya set her menu down and cleared her throat.

“I hate to ask this, Mari, but is it true? I don’t want to believe it of Adrien, or Ladybug for that matter, but with the photo…”

Marinette shook her head. “It’s not, but I understand. We’re trying to get to the bottom of where the picture came from.”

“What are you guys going to do? I can’t go anywhere without seeing your faces and not for the normal, good reasons.”

Marinette lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “We’re not sure yet, exactly. I’m not quite sure how to fix this.”

“That’s not the Marinette I know,” Alya said with a raised eyebrow. “You’ve got to fight this. Find out who sold the photo and you’ve got your guy.”

“Easier said than done,” Marinette said with a sigh. That wasn’t even taking all the complications into account. Were their secret identities compromised? Needless to say, swinging onto the balcony to transform was officially out of the question, but was everyone she loved in danger now? If that information got out, got into the wrong hands--had they put everyone at risk because of some stupid kiss in the heat of the moment?

“Mari? Earth to Mari.”

Marinette looked up, eyes wide as Alya waved a hand in front of her face. The waiter stood by their table, ready to take their orders.

“I’m sorry,” she said once the waiter had left, “lost in thought I guess.”

“Well, I don’t blame you,” Alya said, taking a sip of her water. “But we need to come up with a plan. You know I’m here for whatever you guys need. I’ve got plenty of connections and we will not let this lying, photoshop editing scumbag get away with it.”

Marinette’s smile was genuine for the first time since reading that article this morning. “You’re the best, Alya, but let me talk with Adrien first before you go banging down any doors.”

“Alright, but I’m up for it anytime you need.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.”

Alya, sensing the need for a distraction, changed the subject to her annoying upstairs neighbor’s latest round of what could only be parkour at 3 am that morning. She managed to keep Marinette’s mind mostly off the picture and soon they were both smiling again, their food gone.

“Do you have to go back to work now?” Alya asked as they paid and headed out of the restaurant.

Marinette nodded. “I’ve got a deadline coming up. I really need to finish this dress.”

“Same here except, a story, not a dress.”

Marinette opened her mouth to respond when she heard her name and noticed a man with a camera just off to her right.

“Marinette! What do you have to say about your husband getting caught with Ladybug?”

Marinette’s mouth straightened into a hard line. “No comment,” she said as she pushed past him, only just noticing to two men standing just behind him.

“What do you have to say to the hero who wrecked your marriage?” one of the other men called out, raising his camera to take her picture.

“No comment.”

“Hey, get out of here,” Alya ordered, moving to block the paparazzi from getting to Marinette. “She said no comment.”

“Will you forgive Adrien?” the third man finally asked, trying to move around Alya to get a picture of Marinette.

“Ever heard of journalistic integrity?” Alya asked, her hands tightening into fists at her side. “You might want to find some.”

“Alya, let’s go,” Marinette said, dragging her away. It hadn’t even been 24 hours of this mess and she was already tired.

* * *

 

“Hey,” Marinette said, her voice soft as she walked through the door to their apartment later that night and kicked off her shoes. Adrien’s back had been to her as he chopped vegetables at the counter, and he turned to throw her a tired smile.

“Hey.”

“I take it your day was as good as mine?” she asked as she walked over to him.

He huffed out a humorless laugh. “Define ‘good’.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, her head falling to rest between his shoulder blades. She heard the sound of the knife being set down on the counter, and one of his hands moved up to rest on hers.

“This sucks,” she murmured into his back.

“It really, really does,” he said, before turning around and looping his arms around her.

“I’ll tell you about my shitty day if you tell me about yours,” she said, tightening her arms around him.

“Deal,” he said grimly before letting go of her. “Help me finish up dinner?”

“Deal,” she said, a smile finally crossing her lips as she walked over to the fridge to grab the chicken she’d put in there the night before.

She told him about lunch with Alya. She grinned through Alya’s staunch defense of the two of them, but her smile faltered as she told him about the paparazzi. She could see his hand tighten around the handle of his knife, but he kept quiet as she spoke.

She hadn’t thought she could get any angrier when Adrien began telling her about his visit with his father.

Sometimes, she wondered how she had ever idolized the man. He may be a genius when it came to fashion, but the way he treated Adrien tainted her view of both his talent and the man himself.

“It was like he wouldn’t even entertain the idea that it wasn’t true.”

“Well…” Marinette said slowly as she browned the chicken, “it is true.”

Adrien shook his head. “It’s true that the photo is of us, but it’s not true that I cheated on you. He told me to be more discreet.”

Marinette said nothing and they stayed in silence for several moments, both of them lost in thought.

“I think that’s what bothers me the most,” he said walking over the fridge to grab a head of lettuce and a cucumber.. “It wasn’t the idea of an affair that he had a problem with. It was the fact that it’s going to reflect badly on the Agreste name.” Adrien moved over to the stove to add the chopped vegetables to the stir fry. “How could he not care that if it was true, that I was ruining the most important thing in my life? How can he just not care?”

Marinette turned and wrapped her arms around him. He responded immediately, curling around her and pulling her in tight.

“I know the truth,” she said simply against his chest. “We both know what’s going on in the picture. It’s not going to be easy, but we know the truth, and that’s what matters.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom and Sabine offer their support, while Ladybug learns just what the people of Paris think of their hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If my outline is correct, this should be 6 or 7 chapters, so we're at about the middle mark. :D I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Feel free to come talk to me on [tumblr](http://bearholdingashark.tumblr.com/) if you want. :D

“Are you sure they believed you when you said it wasn’t real?” Adrien asked as he and Marinette stood outside of the door to her parents’ apartment.

They had dinner with her parents once a week, and he usually looked forward to these meals. It was the family dinner experience he hadn’t had in a long time. Tonight, however, he couldn’t get past the jittery feeling in his stomach.

“Of course they did. You know they love you like you were their own son. Sometimes I think even if we hadn’t gotten married, they would have adopted you anyway.” Marinette’s tone and smile were lighthearted and easy, but the comforting squeeze of her hand told him that she knew how much this worried him.

Adrien smiled at that, but he couldn’t quite get the image of his father, stone faced and unwilling to listen, out of his mind.

Marinette knocked on the door, and it opened a moment later, revealing her father, smiling and welcoming.

“It’s so good to see you,” Tom said as he hugged them both. “How are you two holding up?”

He looked between the two of them as he spoke and his concern for them both was evident.

Adrien felt some of his anxiety ease away. His own father may not know him well enough to know the truth, but Tom and Sabine did.

“We’re doing alright, all things considered,” Marinette said as she and Adrien hung up their coats.

“I still can’t believe someone would publish such trash,” Sabine said as she came out of the kitchen to greet them.

“Tom and I are here for both of you,” she said quietly as she leaned in to give him a hug.

Adrien nodded, his throat suddenly tight.

“Thank you, Sabine. That means a lot,” he said once he’d cleared his throat.

“Do you have any leads?” Tom asked as they walked back into the kitchen.

“Possibly. Adrien and I are talking to the photographers we know, to see if any of them have any ideas of who might have taken the photo, but we don’t have anything concrete just yet.”

“Between the two of us and our connections in the industry, we should turn up something soon,” Adrien added with a small, hopeful smile. He and Marinette were actually surprised that they hadn’t turned something up already. It made him nervous to not know who they were fighting.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Sabine?” Adrien asked, turning to her as she bustled around the kitchen.

“Could you bring the rolls to the table? We’re just about ready.” She asked, handing him a plate piled high with rolls fresh from the oven. His mouth watered at the smell as he set them down on the table.

Marinette gave his hand a squeeze as he joined her at the dinner table, but said nothing to him. He sat back and watched her talk with her parents as they brought out the rest of the meal. He couldn’t help the small smile as he watched them. The amount of love and support among these people was almost tangible, and while they hadn’t beaten this yet, he and Marinette weren’t alone in the fight.

* * *

 

Marinette looked up from her sketchbook as the sound of screams broke through the silence. The screams grew steadily louder. It could only be an akuma. Dropping her sketchbook on the desk, she jumped to her feet.

“Tikki! Spots on!”

As she swung across the rooftops toward the sounds of terror and mayhem, she saw that Chat had beaten her there.

“Chat Noir!” She yelled as he landed several feet from the akuma, his staff out by his side.

“I am glad to see you, My Lady,” he said as she jumped down to join him.

“What have we got?”

“She calls herself ‘The Illusionist’. I think Chloe’s to blame, if calling for her “demise” is any indication.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “You really think she would have learned by now.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” Chat said with a grin, before extending his staff out and launching himself at the akuma.

She shook her head affectionately at him before throwing her yoyo and following right behind him.

Even with The Illusionist’s ability to teleport--and create fakes--it was a short fight.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Ladybug shouted as she threw the lucky charm--an egg timer of all things--up into the air.

She leaned up to give Chat a quick kiss on the cheek as everything was restored around them.

“What happened?”

Ladybug and Chat looked over at the woman who stood where The Illusionist used to be.

“Everything’s alright,” she said with a warm smile. “You’re okay.”

Instead of the smile and profuse thanks she had been expecting, the woman scowled.

“I don’t know why you’re looking so pleased with yourself after what you did.”

“What I did?” Ladybug asked, taken aback by the woman’s attitude.

“Last time I checked, saving the whole city was something to be proud of,” Chat said, moving closer, trying to put himself in front of Ladybug.

“You don’t have to defend her. We’ve all seen the picture, we all know what she did to you.”

The picture. Ladybug’s eyes widened and it felt like she’d just taken a hit from an akuma. The woman shook her head in disgust and walked off.

Ladybug didn’t even have a moment to process before the reporters came crowding forward, calling her and Chat’s names. She forced a smile. She could deal with the press.

“Ladybug! What do you have to say with your affair with Adrien Agreste?”

Her smile faltered.

“No comment.”

It was her daily encounter with the paparazzi--as Marinette--all over again.

“Chat Noir! What do you have to say about the affair?”

“No comment.”

Chat’s answer was clipped, his body language was stiff, all of his lightheartedness gone.

“Ladybug!”

“Chat Noir!”

His ring and her earrings beeped simultaneously, and Ladybug had never been happier to hear that sound.

Ladybug looked up at Chat. “Time to go, kitty,” she said with a sigh.

He nodded and wrapped one arm around her waist before extending his staff and shooting them towards the rooftops.

He dropped them into a deserted alley a few blocks away to transform.

“They hate Ladybug. They’ve never hated Ladybug.”

She had gotten used to that damn photo disrupting her civilian life. She didn’t like it, but had incorporated avoiding paparazzi and wielding “no comment” and a scowl like a shield as Marinette. She hadn’t even stopped to consider how it would affect Ladybug.

Adrien pulled her against his chest as their transformations wore off.

Tikki nuzzled against her cheek, silently offering what comfort she could. Even Plagg stayed quiet as he burrowed into Adrien’s hair

She should have seen it coming. It wasn’t Marinette in that photo. It wasn’t Marinette who everyone thought had destroyed two relationships.

“I just want this to be over.”

“Me too,” Adrien murmured against her hair, pulling her more tightly against him.

Marinette knew they should go home, get back to work, but she couldn’t make herself step away from Adrien’s embrace. She closed her eyes and let him hold her.

* * *

 

Marinette knew she shouldn’t. She had been warned by more than one person to not go looking for news about them, and if she did to not read the comment section. She didn’t really need to be told this. She had been in the spotlight as Ladybug since she was fifteen, and was beginning to make a name for herself as a designer, not to mention the fact that she had married one of the most well known supermodels in France.

But when the link to an article about the photo showed up on the sidebar of her facebook page, she got curious. Their attempts to find the photographer who had taken the photo had all turned into dead ends. Marinette couldn’t stand feeling like she was sitting around just doing nothing, and she told herself that maybe one of these articles would hold some sort of clue.

The article said basically the same things as all the other articles she had seen: that the photo had been sent to the media from an anonymous source followed by speculation about how the affair was affecting both couples and a brief history of both relationships.

She knew she should have clicked back as soon as she saw that the article held no new information. She had even moved her cursor up to click back when the first comment caught her eye.

_ChatNoirIsMyHusband; 7:35 PM_

_How can we trust Ladybug to protect Paris if she’s a homewrecker? Poor Chat Noir._

Marinette grimaced, at both the person’s username and their comment.

She couldn’t stop herself from glancing at the comment below that.

_Megan87; 7:34 PM_

_Are we really surprised? Ladybug’s always acted like she was better than everyone else._

She huffed out a sigh. Who did these people think they were?

“Are you reading those articles again?”

Marinette looked over at Adrien who was sitting in the armchair across from her, a book open in his lap. She looked down, sheepishly.

“I glanced at the comment section. I know I shouldn’t, but I was curious.”

“They don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said with a frown. “You can’t listen to them.”

“I know that,” she said with a sigh. “It’s just so hard to know that they don’t trust me anymore. How can I protect them if they don’t want me to?”

Adrien set his book down and moved over to join her on the couch.

“I guess you just have to keep doing what needs to be done, even if they don’t want it,” he said, wrapping an arm around her.

She leaned into him and sighed again. “That’s so much easier than it sounds. And it sounds terrible.”

“They don’t deserve you,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“Damn right,” she said, but her tone lacked any bite.

Knowing she should just leave it alone, Marinette clicked the link to another article.

“You really need to stop,” Adrien said with a shake of his head.

“Oh, look, this one included a picture from our wedding,” Marinette said as she scrolled down.

It was one of the pictures they’d released to the various magazines doing articles on their wedding, and a personal favorite of hers. They had their arms around each other, and she was looking up at him with a wide smile while his head was thrown back mid laugh. They both looked so happy and carefree.

“Well, we do look purr-fect, if I say so myself,” Adrien said with a smug grin, bringing her out of her memories.

She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved at him.

She finally closed her laptop, and leaned back against Adrien, closing her eyes and trying not to think about anything other than how nice it felt to be sitting with him like this. They sat in silence, and the rise and fall of his chest began lulling her to sleep.

“What if…” Adrien trailed off and looked down at his hands.

“What is it?” Marinette asked, opening her eyes and blinking away her fatigue. She sat up, to look at him and she could tell by the way he was refusing to look at her that she wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to suggest.

Adrien sighed and brought his head back up to look at her as he spoke. “What if we tell them the truth?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “The truth? You mean--”

Adrien nodded. “We tell them than Adrien Agreste isn’t cheating on his wife with Ladybug, because Ladybug _is_ his wife. And that they’re partners in every way.”

“Adrien…” Marinette sighed. “You know why we can’t do that.”

“Would it really be so bad?” He asked, his tone pleading with her to lie to him, to tell him that they had a solution that could fix everything.

“What about my parents? Your dad? Our friends? Anyone close to us would be in danger. Any children we had would be born with targets on their backs because of who their parents are.”

Adrien sighed. “You’re right, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Marinette leaned in closer and wrapped her arms around him. “You were thinking that we could simply tell the truth and everything would be fixed, that the world would reward that honesty. I wish it were true.”

She could feel him nod.

“I’m used to being in the public eye, but I’m not used to being so universally hated.”

“I don’t know, I think you’ve got a bit of a sleazy cheater’s fan club going on there.”

“I think that’s worse,” he said, and Marinette could hear the grimace in his voice.

“If it makes you feel any better, the public isn’t so happy with Ladybug either.”

“That’s even harder to watch,” Adrien said, shifting so that she was curled up in his lap. “I don’t like it, but I can handle people saying things about me. But you’re so good to this city. How can they not see that?”

Marinette opened her mouth to respond when there was a knock at the door.

“Who could that be?” Marinette asked as she got out of Adrien’s lap.

The knocking grew louder.

Marinette pushed herself off the couch when the knocking became more insistent. She pulled the door open, wondering just who would be banging on their door at 10 o’clock at night.

She stepped back, opening the door wider as Alya pushed her way into the apartment.

“Alya?” Marinette asked, confused at what was so important that she couldn’t just tell them in the morning. “What is it?”

“I have a lead.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya, Marinette and Adrien follow up on Alya's lead, but some truths come out that were meant to stay hidden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I am so sorry it took so long to finish this. I'm finishing it as part of the WIP Big Bang, so I'm posting the rest of the story in one go. Enjoy. :D

“A lead?” Marinette asked. 

Alya nodded. “I was able to find out the name of the photographer who sold the photo. His name is Phillipe Boucher. Ring any bells?”

Marinette turned to Adrien, her eyebrows furrowed. “It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him.”

Adrien shook his head. “Me neither.” 

“I thought that might be the case, so I did a little digging. Turns out that he’s a little known photographer who also works as a private investigator on the side. I haven’t found out who he’s working for yet, but if we search his office, we can see if we can find the photo and any information on who’s behind all this,” Alya said, already moving back towards the door. “If we go now, it should be empty.” 

“Breaking and entering is illegal, Alya,” Adrien said, shooting her a disapproving look. 

“Only if we get caught.” 

Adrien shot her a look. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works.” 

“No, Adrien,” Marinette said, stepping in between him and Alya, “it’s a good plan.” 

“Mari, it won’t help matters if the press gets a photo of you getting arrested.” 

Marinette stepped closer to him and laid a hand on his arm gently. “We need to get ahead of this.” 

Adrien met her eyes, his expression serious and she could see him thinking it through and she knew the moment he had given in. 

“You’re right,” he said with a sigh. “But we need to be careful.” 

“We will be,” Marinette said, gesturing to herself and Alya, “but I think you should stay here.” 

“The photo is of me too,” Adrien said, looking confused and slightly hurt. “I should be going with you.” 

“Two people are more likely to get in and out without getting noticed than three, and your dad is already on your case about not reflecting badly on the Agreste name.” 

“Who cares what my dad thinks?” Adrien asked, crossing his arms tightly. “I should be there.” 

“You were right when you said it would be bad if we got caught. It will be even worse if you’re the one getting arrested. Let me do this.” 

Adrien hesitated a moment before nodding. “Okay. You guys go. But let me know if you need any help,” he said, giving her a significant look, “and I will be there at a moment’s notice. Please be careful,” he said, leaning in closer, his voice growing more quiet. 

Marinette nodded. “We will. I promise,” she said as she pushed up on her toes to kiss him lightly. 

She stepped back after a moment, and flashed what she hoped was a reassuring smile to Adrien before turning to Alya. “Alright, let’s go.”

\-----

The small building where Phillipe Boucher rented office space was dark when Marinette and Alya arrived less than an hour later. It was an old building, and even in the dark it was obvious that it could use better maintenance. 

“I guess business isn’t going too well,” Marinette muttered, feeling a dark jolt of satisfaction. Phillipe wasn’t really the one behind this, but he’d taken the photo that was currently ruining their lives. 

Alya shrugged. “At least it will make getting into the building easier.” 

She bent down once they reached the front door and quickly picked the lock. The inside looked even grimier than the outside had been. 

“Do you know which office is his?” Marinette asked quietly. She was pretty sure no one was in the building, but it seemed like a situation that called for whispering. 

Alya nodded. “It’s on the first floor just down the hall.” 

Alya picked the lock to his office even more quickly than the door to the building, and then they were in. 

Marinette began rifling through the papers on the desk, while Alya turned on his computer. 

“Do you think you can get in?” Marinette asked as she read through a stack of notes on a cheating husband he had been following last week.   
“Already in,” Alya said with a grin. “It shouldn’t take me long to find something good.” 

Marinette nodded and flipped through more notes on the people Boucher had been hired to follow. Cheating husband, cheating wife, backstabbing business partner, cheating husband… This guy’s job was certainly depressing.

“Find anything yet?” Marinette asked, as she continued looking through the papers on the desk. There wasn’t anything very promising yet, but she had to be sure before she stopped looking. 

A sharp gasp was all of a response Marinette got. 

“What is it?” she asked, looking up. 

Alya was staring at the computer screen, her mouth open. Marinette moved closer to see what had caused such a reaction. 

On the computer screen, in vivid color, was a picture of her and Adrien in mid-transformation. Their costumes from chest down were still visible, but their faces were uncovered. Marinette’s hand flew to her mouth. 

Alya turned slowly to look at Marinette. “Is this real?”

Marinette could only stare back for a moment, mind racing, trying to figure out some way to get out of this that Alya would believe. 

Alya’s lips settled into a grim line as Marinette said nothing. 

“Alya, I…” she faltered. There was nothing to say. 

“It was you all along?” There was hurt now in Alya’s features, and it felt like something sharp and heavy twisted inside of Marinette at the sight. 

“I couldn’t tell you, I couldn’t tell anyone, it wasn’t safe!” 

Alya was shaking her head, and the reasons Marinette gave--real, important reasons--now felt like excuses. 

“Did you think you couldn’t tell me because of the Ladyblog?” Alya asked, hurt and anger mingling together in her voice. “We’ve been best friends for over ten years. Did you really think I would betray you like that?”

“Of course not!” Marinette said, trying to reassure her. “I wouldn’t even tell Chat for the longest time. We didn’t find out each other’s identities until after we graduated. Even then it was an accident.” 

Alya was silent for several moments, and every moment it felt harder for Marinette to breathe. 

“Alya, it wasn’t--” Marinette broke off at the look on Alya’s face. 

Alya still said nothing as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a flash drive. She copied the photo onto the flashdrive, put it back into her pocket, turned off the computer and stood up. 

“We should go,” she said, her voice and body language stiff. “We don’t want to get caught.” 

They walked out of the building to the car in complete silence that felt more stifling and uncomfortable by the minute. The silence continued as they got into the car and through the fifteen minutes it took to get back to Marinette and Adrien’s apartment. 

Marinette hesitated as she pushed the car door open. “Alya…” she said, trying to figure out what she needed to say to make this right. 

“Not now, Marinette,” Alya said and she just sounded, tired. Hurt and tired. “I need to think about this before we talk about it, okay?”

Marinette nodded, knowing she had no right to ask Alya of anything in that moment. “Of course,” she said, trying to ignore how small her voice sounded. “Thank you for everything you’ve done to help us.”

Alya nodded, but kept her eyes focused straight ahead of her. 

Marinette opened her mouth to say something, anything, but knew there wasn’t anything. Instead, she shut her mouth and got out of the car. 

“How did it go?” Adrien asked as soon as she walked into the house. 

He was sitting on the couch with a book in his lap, but she would bet anything that up until he’d heard her key in the lock, he’d been pacing, unable to just sit there and wait for them. 

Marinette kicked her shoes off and put her keys in her pocket before looking up at him. At the look on her face, Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“That bad? What did you find?”

Marinette walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it, leaning against one arm. “Boucher has a photo of us mid transformation. He knows who we are.” 

The book fell from Adrien’s hand and onto the floor. “Please tell me I misheard that,” Adrien said his eyes wide. 

“You didn’t, because I heard it too, kid,” Plagg said flying into the living room from the kitchen. “And this is not good.” 

Tikki nodded as she poked her head out of Marinette’s bag. 

“And that’s not even the worst of it,” Marinette said running a hand over her face. 

“How is someone having photographic evidence of the fact that we’re masked superheroes not the worst of it?”

“Alya was the one to find the picture.” 

Adrien sighed and gave her a look of sympathy as he moved over to join her on the couch. “How did she take it?”

“Not well,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “Was I wrong to keep it from her? I was trying to keep her safe, but should I have trusted her?”

“I think it’s complicated,” Adrien said after a few moments. “It’s a big secret to bear, and your not telling her wasn’t because you didn’t trust her, just as it wasn’t because you didn’t trust me all those years ago. It’s a huge thing to learn.”

“Our reputations are destroyed, our identities are at stake, we can’t leave the house without getting hounded by paparazzi and I think seeing Alya’s face when she realized we’ve--I’ve--been lying to her for years was the hardest part of the last few weeks.” Marinette’s face crumpled and Adrien drew her into his arms. “What if I’ve lost my best friend?”

“I’m sure she just needs time,” he said, running his hand soothingly over her hair. “It’s a lot to adjust to, but she’ll be back.” 

He could feel Marinette nodding against his chest, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. They stayed like that for several minutes, until Marinette’s breathing evened out. 

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked as she pulled back from his embrace. 

She nodded shakily. “I will. It’s just been a really long night.” 

“I can imagine,” Adrien said as Marinette laid her head back on his chest. 

“Can we just stay like this forever?”

“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Adrien said softly, leaning back against the couch. 

“Although,” Adrien said after several minutes, “why haven’t we heard about this yet?”

Marinette brought her head up to look at him. “What do you mean?” 

“Why is the first we’re hearing about this photo because you and Alya stumbled upon it? The identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir would be a huge deal for anybody. Why haven’t we received blackmail demands or seen this show up online?”

That was a good question. Marinette bit her lip as she thought about it. “Well, maybe he’s just biding his time. Revealing our identities kind of kills the cheating scandal.” 

Adrien shook his head. “But the story of our identities is way bigger than the story of some affair.” 

“Wow, I’m glad to know that Ladybug is just some affair to you,” Marinette said a smile playing at the corners of her lips. 

Adrien gasped. “My lady. I apologize for ever making you think that you were anything but the best and most scandalous affair I have ever had.” 

Marinette laughed, and laid back down against him. 

“We’ll get through this, Mari,” Adrien said, tightening his arms around her. “I promise.” 

She hummed in agreement. “This sucks, but I’m glad it’s you with me.” 

“Me too.” 

\------

Marinette was grateful that the next day neither she nor Adrien had to work. She felt like she’d been dealt the biggest out of left field curveball last night and had no interest in going outside and pretending her world wasn’t about to implode. 

“It’s been awhile since we’ve both had a day off,” Adrien murmured into her hair as they both lay in bed, pretending they’d gotten more than just a few restless hours of sleep. 

Marinette nodded. “I just wish it was easier to enjoy it.” 

Adrien tightened his arms around her. “We’ll figure this out. Whoever is behind this is no match for Ladybug and Chat Noir.” 

Marinette smiled, but part of her couldn’t help feeling that they were both over their heads in this. 

They lay in silence for the next little while, just taking comfort in each other. Marinette was about to suggest that they actually get up so they could have breakfast before noon when there came a knock on the door. 

They looked at each other. 

“Can’t we just pretend we’re not home?” Marinette asked as Adrien got out of bed. 

Adrien rolled his eyes affectionately. “Come on, it might be important.” 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Marinette said as she padded after him towards the door, pulling her hair back into a somewhat presentable ponytail. 

Adrien got to the door first, and opened it. 

“Hi, Adrien, Marinette,” Alya said quietly from the hall. “Is now a bad time? I can come back later.” 

Marinette surged forward, not wanting to lose this chance. “No, now’s a perfect time. Come in.” 

Alya walked in, looking as nervous as Marinette felt. 

Adrien looked between the two of them and turned to walk into the kitchen. “I’m just going to make some food, you guys talk.” 

Alya and Marinette stood, neither one filling the awkward silence as the sounds of Adrien getting breakfast ready filled the background. 

“I’m--”

“Alya--”

They both stopped and smiled nervously. 

“You go first,” Alya said. 

Marinette nodded. “I just want to say again how sorry I am. It wasn’t because I couldn’t trust you. I thought it was safer, and really, if I’m being honest, it was because I was scared.”

Alya shook her head. “No, I’m sorry too. I was hurt and angry last night, and while I wish you had felt like you could tell me, I totally get why you didn’t.”

“Are we okay?” Marinette asked softly. “I felt like I might have lost you last night, and I never want that.” 

Alya nodded. “Girl, we are totally okay.” 

Marinette grinned and pulled Alya in for a hug. 

“Okay, now we need a plan,” Alya said once they had both pulled back. “Have you guys come up with anything?”

Marinette glanced at Adrien and shook her head. “We talked about it a little bit last night, but we were mostly processing, I think.” 

Alya reached into her bag and pulled out a notebook. “Okay, give me what you’ve got, and let’s fix this.” 

Adrien set two plates full of breakfast food in front of Alya and Marinette, who had set up at the kitchen table, twenty minutes later. “Day saved yet?” he asked as he sat down across from them with a plate of his own. 

“We have to go back,” Alya said before taking a bite of her croissant. “We need more information.”

“Are we sure that’s a good idea?” Adrien asked. 

Marinette nodded. “We need to find out who this guy is working for, or if he’s working alone, what possessed him to go after us in the first place. Until we know that, we can’t take these people down.”

“Okay, but I’m going with you.” 

Marinette sighed. “Adrien, we talked about this.” 

“This is bigger than just our reputations now. They know who we are. We’re a team, I’m coming with you.” 

Alya made a little squealing noise. Adrien and Marinette both turned to give her twin looks of confusion.

“What was that?” Marinette asked.

Alya looked sheepish. “Sorry, but Ladybug and Chat Noir are my OTP. This is kind of a big deal for me.”

“You are so weird,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile a bit to see Alya being so accepting. 

Alya grinned. “So, we go back again tonight, same time as last night?”

Adrien looked to Marinette, one eyebrow raised, and she nodded. 

“So now we just wait,” Marinette said, glancing at the clock and realizing they had over 8 hours until it would be time to go. 

Alya nodded. “Now we wait.”

\----

The wait was only slightly as interminable as Marinette had feared, but finally, it was time for them to go search Boucher’s office again. 

Marinette and Adrien stood back as Alya picked the door to his office. Marinette’s stomach clenched at the thought of what they might find this time. What else could this man have to hurt them with?

Alya went straight for the computer and Marinette and Adrien poked around the edges of the office, looking in drawers and bookshelves. 

“Find anything yet?” Marinette asked after several minutes. “I’ve got nothing so far.” 

“Yes, what have you found?” a new voice asked from behind her. 

All three of them whirled around to face the doorway, where Philippe Boucher stood, arms folded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team comes up with a plan of attack.

"M. Boucher!" Marinette said, as her hand flew up to her mouth. She tried to think of something to say that fit the situation and wasn't a total lie, but nothing came to her. 

"I knew this would happen eventually, but I'm going to be honest, I didn't expect it to happen in my office," Boucher said as he calmly entered the room and shut the door behind him. 

His tone and body language were all calmness and easiness, as if they were friends who had bumped into each other at the grocery store and not people who were being blackmailed and the blackmailer. 

That got Marinette’s back up. "I was going to try and apologize for breaking into your office, but you know what? You're ruining my life right now, and I'm not going to apologize for anything."

"Mari..." Adrien murmured, in a worried tone from behind her. 

Marinette turned to look at Adrien. "What? He's the one who took the photo and is probably going to blackmail us. I'm not going to make this easy for him.”

"You just might not want to be so blatant about it," Alya suggested, even as she knew that it was hopeless. 

Boucher shook his head. "No, Marinette's right. I am the reason for your difficulties right now. I actually have been wanting to talk about that."

Marinette opened her mouth, but Boucher held up his hand. "I'm not going to blackmail you, that's not what this is about." 

Adrien, Marinette and Alya all shared confused looks. 

"If it's not about blackmail, what is it about?" Adrien asked. 

Boucher sighed. "I never should have taken the assignment on you two, and I shouldn't have sold the photo of your kiss. I realized exactly what I had done once I took the picture exposing your identities." 

"What do you plan to do about it?" Marinette asked, her tone still angry. 

Boucher shrugged and looked apologetic. "I'm not entirely sure yet, which is why I hadn't contacted you. I wanted to come to you with a solution, but I haven't found one yet."

"I guess we should start with the obvious," Alya said, taking a seat on the couch on the far wall. Marinette and Adrien sat down beside her. "Who is your employer?" 

"The actual name of the man who contacted me isn't important, and I doubt you'd know who he was, but he works for Francois Marchand."

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look. That was a name that they knew. Francois Marchand was Gabriel Agreste's biggest rival. The two companies were always trying to outdo each other. It made sense that Francois would want to undermine Gabriel by going after his son. 

"Did he suspect our identities or think that we were having an affair?"

Boucher shook his head. "He didn't really have any idea what I might find, but thought if I followed you two that I would stumble upon something that would help his cause." 

And was Francios right, Marinette thought darkly.

"Why didn't you start to feel sorry until you had taken the picture revealing our identities? Shouldn't prying into our lives already cause you regret?"

Boucher laughed humorlessly. "I'm a private investigator. Prying into people's lives is what puts bread on the table, I'm not about to quibble about that now. And when I took the first picture, I didn't know your identities then. I really did think that you were having an affair. My sister's husband cheated on her, and it resulted in a nasty divorce. I don't take too well to adultery. I thought if you were making that choice, you deserved someone revealing the truth."

“I took the picture of your kiss and sent it to Francois. I was paid and thought that would be it. But Francois thought there might be more opportunities for similar photos and hired me again to follow you. That was when I took the picture of you two de-transforming and realized my mistake." Boucher looked sheepish then. "I have to admit, that if the original picture had been of Chat Noir and Marinette, I may have found someway to justify not selling it. Chat Noir saved my daughter two years ago, and I have been looking for a way to repay that debt. I guess I found it." 

There was silence for several beats after he finished speaking. 

"So you're not going to release the other photo?" Adrien asked, sounding hopeful. 

Boucher shook his head. "No, I was going to return it to you and delete all of my copies. I don't think that Paris needs to know who you are. I've made your lives difficult enough." 

Marinette muttered something under her breath that sounded like "That's for sure," but everyone purposefully ignored it. 

"You said you were wanting to fix what problems you had already caused. How do you plan to do that?" Alya asked. 

Boucher sighed. "I haven't figured out a good plan yet. I could come forward as the photographer and claim that the photo is a fake, but if I do that then my career is completely ruined. But, if that's what you want me to do, then I will do it." He looked up at them expectantly, no guile in his expression, only worry and clear remorse. 

Alya and Adrien glanced at Marinette to see her reaction. 

Marinette glanced at them before speaking. "I'm still not happy with the mess we're in because of you, but I also don't want you to lose your job because of it." 

"I'm sure if we all work together we can come up with a plan," Adrien said with a smile. 

Boucher looked surprised. "You would do that?"

The three of them nodded.

"What we'll need to start with is everything you know about the man who contacted you, and about what Francois wanted the photo for. Was he just hoping you'd find something that would ruin Adrien's repuation or did he have an idea of what you would find?" Alya asked, pulling a notebook out of her bag and starting to write down ideas. 

Marinette smiled. "I knew there would be a benefit to having an investigative journalist as a best friend." 

"Damn straight," Alya said with a grin before getting down to business. 

"This is everything I have," Boucher said, getting up and grabbing a file from his desk. "I keep track of all communications with clients," he said, handing the folder to Marinette. 

She opened the folder and began flipping through the contents. "There's more here than I thought there would be," she murmured as she looked over the many pages in the file. 

Adrien leaned over her shoulder. "You've done a little digging into them yourself, Phillipe," he said as he read along with Marinette. "There's some solid work done here already." 

Boucher grinned. "I felt that there was something off about this assignment and wanted to cover my bases."

Marinette handed the file to Alya. "Think this will be enough to start with?"

Alya flipped through the pages, and hummed thoughtfully. "This is definitely a good start, but it wouldn't hurt to do a little digging of our own." She turned to Adrien. "Francois is your dad's biggest rival, please tell me he's already got information on the guy." 

Adrien nodded. "I know he does. I'm not sure he'll give it to me outright, but I should be able to get it from him." 

Alya nodded, still looking over the file. "Okay, let's regroup in a couple of days. Boucher," she said, finally closing the file folder and setting it in her lap, "can we use your office again? I think it might be less conspicuous than anywhere we have access to." 

Boucher nodded. "That won't be a problem. I'll even be here early so you don't have to pick the lock again," he said with a grin. 

Alya smiled back and then turned to Adrien and Marinette. "While I'm looking over this evidence, you and Adrien will be doing your best to get whatever his dad has on Francois. How about we meet here on Sunday at say 7 pm?"

Everyone nodded. "That should be enough time to get whatever I need to get from my dad," Adrien said. 

"Alright, team," Alya said standing up and gathering her coat. "Let's see what we can do to bring down this scumbag."

\------  
They met again a few days later. Even though it had only been a short time since they last met, the days had dragged on and on. Marinette had left the last meeting feeling hopeful, but she wasn’t sure there was a way out this anymore. Would this just be her life now? Distrust for one identity and pity for the other?

“Did you hear anything more from your contact?” Marinette asked Phillipe, hoping he would have some perfect solution for them. 

Philippe shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything from him since before we last met.” 

"Were you able to get anything from your dad?" Alya asked as she pulled her notebook out and uncapped her pen. 

Adrien nodded and pulled a thick file folder out of his bag. "I was, but I'm not sure it's going to be much help. Mari and I looked over it last night, and while there's a lot in here, most of it is related to the fashion industry and not a lot of skeletons in the closet. If there were, my dad probably would have used them to his advantage already." 

Marinette sighed. "What about what Phillipe was able to find, Alya? Did you see anything useful in there?"

"Possibly, but like Adrien said, nothing big that we can use as leverage." Alya said with a sigh. "I was thinking about it, and even if we were able to find something like that, how would we use it? There's no getting the photo back, and we can't say it's a fake without ruining Phillipe's career." 

"There has to be another solution." Adrien said, running his hand down his face.

"That doesn't involve us telling the truth about who we are? We talked about how that is a terrible idea, Adrien. It won't work." Marinette said, standing up and beginning to pace the room. 

They all sat in silence trying to find a way out. Marinette paced, Alya tapped her pencil against her notebook, and Adrien and Phillipe both stared off into the distance. 

"What if..." Phillipe began hesitantly before trailing off. Everyone turned their attention to him immediately. 

"What if what?" Marinette asked, stopping her pacing to face him. 

"Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but it just might work," Phillipe said, holding out his hands as if to stave off their arguments. None were forthcoming. "What if you do tell the truth? But with a twist?"

Adrien's face twisted in confusion. "A twist? What do you mean?"

"Well, what if you say that the photo is real, and that it was Marinette in that photo, but that she isn't Ladybug. She's just dressed like Ladybug." 

"Why would I be dressed like Ladybug if I wasn't going to be her?" Marinette asked. 

Phillipe looked slightly embarrassed and shrugged. "Some couples like to spice things up with costumes..."

"You mean we come out and say that Marinette and I like to engage in Ladybug roleplay in the bedroom?" Adrien asked, sounding incredulous. He looked to Marinette, and her expression mirrored his. 

"That will never work," Marinette said shaking her head. 

"Actually," Alya said, slowly, "it just might." 

“Are you kidding, Alya?” Marinette asked, shaking her head. “Nobody will buy it.” 

“You said it before, Marinette. I’m a journalist. You wouldn’t believe the kinds of things that people will buy if they’re presented properly.” 

Marinette sighed. “If we were to do this, and I’m still not sure that this would work, how would we present it?”

“It would have to be you, who came forward, Marinette,” Alya said, leaning forward, her eyes focused on the back wall as she thought through the plan. “Adrien is in the photo as himself and he has too much to gain for anyone to believe him. But if you came forward….” Alya tapped the end of her pen against her lips. “Yeah, I think we could pull this off.” She began writing in her notebook and muttering to herself. “A video interview would be best…” 

“Video interview? With you? Would your boss even let you do that?” Marinette asked. 

Alya nodded. “We don’t typically do celebrity gossip stories, and I usually do print interviews, but I’m pretty sure I could talk my editor into it.” 

Marinette looked at Adrien. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s the best plan we’ve got. Do you think you could sell it? Because if you’re not comfortable with this--”

Marinette shook her head. “No, you’re right. I’d rather they think this than that you and Ladybug are having an affair.”

“My dad won’t love it but...”

“All the more reason to do it?” Marinette asked with a smile, as she grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

She took in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Alright, Alya. Where do we start?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interview.

Alya nodded at the camera man, who gave her the thumbs up to start. Alya was seated in a chair across from a loveseat where Marinette sat. The camera was situated so that they were both in the frame. Adrien who was standing beside the camera man, gave Marinette a warm smile. 

Alya had a small notebook in her lap and smiled at Marinette reassuringly before turning to face the camera. 

"This is Alya Césaire interviewing Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Marinette," she said turning back to face Marinette again, "there has been a lot of speculation and rumor flying around about your marriage right now. Specifically that your husband, Adrien Agreste is having an affair with Ladybug. What do you have to say about that?"

Marinette took a deep breath in before speaking. She looked nervous, but her shoulder were squared and she looked like she was ready to do what needed to be done. "The rumors and speculation that have been going around about us have disrupted our lives and been incredibly hurtful. I can't leave the house without being harassed by paparazzi. My husband has been sent death threats. Adrien is the best husband and partner a person could ask for. He is caring and nurturing and he has been my strength through this whole ordeal. To know that people think he would actually cheat on me is hurtful, because that's not the Adrien I know." 

Alya nodded, looking sympathetic. "I can only imagine how hard this must be for you two. You say that he didn't cheat on you, but the picture that started all this is pretty convincing. Are you saying it's a fake?"

Marinette shook her head. "No, the photo is not a fake, but it's also not what it seems. It's not a picture of Ladybug, but a picture of me." 

Alya frowned. "How can it be a picture of you? Unless you're trying to tell me that you're Ladybug." 

Marinette laughed. "No, that's not what I'm saying. It's a picture of me, dressed as Ladybug." Marinette shifted uncomfortably then, and shot a look at the camera, and Adrien, before continuing. 

"Adrien is, as many people are, a fan of Ladybug. A big fan. Sometimes, to spice things up, we'll roleplay in the bedroom. This is one of the scenarios. The picture that was released is only of the shoulders up, so you can't really see the suit, but the one I own is clearly not the original. It's a good replica, I designed it myself, but there are enough differences to show that it's just for fan purposes."

"I believe that you brought a photo to show of the whole suit?" Alya asked as Marinette nodded. "We'll show that now." 

Alya shot Marinette a smile as they paused for a moment. The photo that would be edited into the video later showed Marinette in a high quality, homemade Ladybug costume, smiling at the camera and doing a superhero pose. Marinette had almost died of embarrassment when she and Adrien had taken it, and the thought of everyone seeing that photo now made her want to crawl under the couch.

Adrien caught her eye, and gave her a thumbs up. Marinette smiled back and took in a deep breath. She could do this. 

“Why now?” Alya asked, back to her interviewer mode. “Why didn’t you release this proof back when the first photo was released?”

“Adrien and I had hoped that this would blow over soon enough. I guess you could call that wishful thinking. This is private and personal and we had hoped we wouldn’t have to share that part of our life with the world.” 

Alya nodded. “Adrien is here also, and this might be a good time for him to join you.”

Marinette turned and smiled as Adrien walked over and joined her on the couch. 

He settled next to her on the loveseat and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. 

"Thank you for joining us, Adrien," Alya said. 

Adrien nodded. "We're just happy to be finally clearing this all up." 

"Adrien, tell us a little about how this situation has been for you." 

"As Marinette explained already, this has been an incredibly trying time. Because they believed what was in that photo, people have thought that I was unfaithful to my wife, and they were quite willing to say exactly what they thought about that. Even more hurtful than the things they would say to me or about me, was the idea that I could ever be unfaithful to Marinette. I love her so much, and I can't imagine doing anything like that to jeopardize what we have. She's it for me, and that's not going to change." 

He looked at Marinette then, and the love in his expression made her want to melt. She scooted closer to him on the loveseat, hoping the move wasn't too obvious. 

"I can see that you two are very much in love. I'm glad to know that the photo wasn't as it seemed," Alya said, bringing their focus back to the interview. 

"We want to thank you for being willing to help us share our side of the story--the true side of the story. We thought long and hard about who we wanted to approach with this, and Adrien and I have both known you for a long time, and know that we can trust your journalistic integrity." 

"Thank you, Marinette, that means a lot. Now is there anything else that you two would like to say?"

Adrien looked to Marinette, who shook her head. "No, I think that's everything," Marinette said. 

Alya turned to look at the camera again. "Well, that's all we have for tonight, but hopefully everyone will see the truth in this so called scandal."

The cameraman turned off the camera, and Alya, Marinette and Adrien all sagged a little in their seats. 

"That was really well done, both of you," Alya said, as she stood up. "I need to go talk to some people about the post production, but feel free to hang out here as long as you need." 

She left the room and Marinette leaned against Adrien. 

“That was so embarrassing,” Marinette murmured into his chest. 

Adrien tightened his arms around her. “I know, but it’s better than the truth,” he murmured, placing a kiss on the top of her head. 

"Let's just hope that people buy it," Marinette said quietly. 

\-----

The video aired two days later, and three days after that, Marinette and Adrien were walking hand in hand down the street towards a small cafe near their apartment for lunch. 

As they walked past a newsstand, a picture caught Marinette’s eye. It was the one of her in the fake Ladybug suit they had released on the video interview. 

Marinette groaned. “That picture is going to haunt me isn’t it?”

Adrien cocked his head and studied the tabloid cover. “I dunno, I kind of like it.” 

Marinette glared at him. 

Adrien laughed. “Of the pictures that were released of us recently, this one probably isn’t the worst.” 

Marinette sighed. “You’re right. And they don’t hate us anymore. Alya sent me a link to an article that was a list of all the times we had been #relationship goals, and at least three of the reasons were from that interview.”

Adrien nodded, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad it worked out, but we should probably be more careful from now on.” 

“Yeah, we don’t need to release pictures of you in a homemade Chat Noir costume.” 

Adrien looked at her with fake hurt written across his features. “You don’t think I could make a good Chat Noir?”

Marinette laughed, and pushed up on her toes to speak softly into his ear. “I happen to think you make an excellent Chat Noir, but people don’t need to know that.” 

Adrien smiled down at her. “You’re right, as always, My Lady,” he murmured before leaning down to capture her lips with his.


End file.
